Chapter 69: Ye Chutang Creates a Miracle

Before Ye Chutang opened the storeroom door in the Imperial Kitchen, she escaped underground.

She didn’t follow the original plan to leave the palace but instead headed to the southeast corner of the palace to the Ziyun Pavilion.

Ziyun Pavilion was where Zhang Tianshi lived.

He was the sorcerer whom the Empress Dowager had brought in to guide the dog emperor in seeking immortality, concocting pills for eternal life.

Thanks to Qi Yanzhou’s map of the palace layout, Ye Chutang was very familiar with the structure of Ziyun Pavilion.

She was just about to exit from the medicinal field in the southernmost direction when she was overwhelmed by a strong stench of blood and the rotten smell of corpses, causing her to descend more than ten meters underground.

Her fingertips brushed against the damp soil, and she could sense the entire underground structure of Ziyun Pavilion.

The medicinal field was nourished by fresh blood and decaying flesh, and in the lotus pool, there were many children’s bones.

The entire Ziyun Pavilion was a massive soul-locking formation.

However, the person who set up the formation was a half-hearted amateur in sorcery, and the formation itself was flawed.

In other words, Zhang Tianshi was a murderous fraud!

Ye Chutang poked her head out from under a locust tree in the northwest corner.

The locust tree was planted beside the pill-making room.

The pill-making room was brightly lit, and the air was suffocating.

The fragrance of the herbs mixed with the smell of blood, making her gag.

Ye Chutang peered through the crack in the door.

Two young apprentices were sitting in front of the pill furnace, tending to the fire.

Another four apprentices were grinding herbs.

In addition to the ordinary herbs, there were also infant bones!

As they worked, they chatted.

“The Master is probably harmonizing the Yin and Yang again. I really envy him!”

“Envy? Those women are no simpletons, you probably won’t be able to handle them.”

“True, they even grind up baby bones and apply them to their faces to maintain their beauty.”

“That’s nothing, I’ve even seen them eating small livers!”

Ye Chutang clenched her fists in fury.

“Beasts!”

She controlled her earth abilities and flipped the large pill furnace over.

The furnace toppled, crushing the two young apprentices tending the fire to death.

The burning wood spilled out, setting the already dry pill-making room on fire.

“Run…” Too late!

Before the herb-grinding apprentices could speak, Ye Chutang silenced them.

The remaining three apprentices were horrified.

But before they could scream for help, their throats were slit.

Merit points +289.

This number shocked Ye Chutang.

She hadn’t expected that the six young apprentices would carry so much guilt.

“The North Star Kingdom should be destroyed!”

After saying that, she vanished underground, heading toward the Tian Pavilion where Zhang Tianshi resided.

The Tian Pavilion had nineteen floors.

The first eighteen floors each depicted a chilling image of Hell and were constructed to resemble it.

On the nineteenth floor, there was a painting of the paradise of immortality, symbolizing that anyone who could pass through the eighteen layers of Hell would purify their soul and gain eternal life.

Zhang Tianshi was not on the top floor seeking immortality but instead was indulging in luxuries on the first floor.

He had chosen eighteen stunning women, who appeared to take on the sins for the dog emperor while secretly indulging him.

Ye Chutang pushed open the corner of the floor on the first floor and lit the strongest incense.

Within half a stick of incense, Zhang Tianshi and the eighteen women were knocked out.

Ye Chutang emerged from the floor, transferring the sins of the eighteen layers of Hell onto the eighteen women.

The more terrifying each layer of Hell was, the more tragic the women’s deaths were.

As for Zhang Tianshi, he had his lineage severed and was left naked, hanging at the top of the nineteenth floor.

When the flood in the pill-making room was discovered, and the palace servants and Imperial Guard arrived to put out the fire, they found the sky above the Tian Pavilion marked with four words made of blue flames: Demon Sorcery Destroys the Nation.

The words were written by Ye Chutang using alcohol on a piece of gauze. After lighting it, the fire formed the shape of the letters.

In the dim night, only the burning words could be seen, while the gauze itself was invisible.

People from ancient times naturally couldn’t figure out the trick, and they truly believed it was a miracle.

Soon after, Ye Chutang created a small earthquake using her earth abilities.

While everyone was in a panic, she removed the almost burnt-out gauze and disappeared underground, heading to the emperor’s study to steal the jade seal.

Then, she returned to the Minister’s Residence.

Ye Chutang didn’t kill Zhang Tianshi.

First, because he had a close relationship with the emperor, which was tied to the national destiny.

Second, even if she killed him, there would still be Li Tianshi or Wang Tianshi to replace him.

She couldn’t control the fate of the nation, so she could only do her best.

---

The Next Day

Before dawn, the Imperial Kitchen was ransacked, and news that Zhang Tianshi was a demon sorcerer and the eighteen layers of Hell had manifested again spread throughout the capital.

Because the jade seal had been stolen, the emperor broke tradition and attended the morning court.

He glared at Qi Yanzhou, his face dark with rage.

“Prince Chen, why haven’t you found anything about the ‘Ghost Thief’ yet?”

First, the Longevity Palace was robbed, then the Imperial Kitchen, and now the jade seal. Was the next step to steal his own head?

Qi Yanzhou bowed and replied.

“Your Majesty, the ‘Ghost Thief’ appears and disappears without a trace. I am but a mortal, truly powerless to act.”

The emperor slapped the armrest of the dragon throne, his eyes blazing with anger.

“Prince Chen, what do you mean by this?”

“Your Majesty, the ‘Ghost Thief’ has stolen so many items from the palace in such a short time; this is beyond the capabilities of mere mortals. I suspect…”

Qi Yanzhou deliberately paused, and the emperor shouted in anger, “Go on!”

“I suspect it was done by a sorcerer seeking revenge on Zhang Tianshi.”

The emperor turned to De Gonggong, who was holding the whisk, “What do you think?”

De Gonggong recalled the secret letter he had received the night before, glanced at Qi Yanzhou, and nodded in agreement with his words.

“Your servant believes that Prince Chen’s words are reasonable.”

This statement left the ministers in a daze.

Was the emperor implying that he was using De Gonggong’s words to punish Prince Chen?

Why did De Gonggong suddenly speak in favor of Prince Chen?

The ministers were unsure whether to refute or agree, lowering their heads in silence.

The emperor coldly questioned, “Reasonable?”

De Gonggong met the emperor’s gaze calmly and replied.

“Your Majesty, the Longevity Palace was emptied in just a quarter of an hour in broad daylight, and the Imperial Kitchen’s storeroom was emptied in the time it takes to make a cup of tea. This is indeed beyond human power.”

The implication was that since the “Ghost Thief” was not human, it would be impossible to find them.

If they punished Prince Chen for this, the people would think the emperor believed Prince Chen’s power had overshadowed him, and he couldn’t tolerate it.

Qi Yanzhou responded.

“Your Majesty, I admit I have failed to capture the ‘Ghost Thief,’ and I am willing to accept a penalty of half my salary.”

This gave the emperor a way out, and he nodded.

“It should be so.”

Then he looked at the ministers.

“Gentlemen, do you have anything to say about ‘Demon Sorcery Destroys the Nation’?”

Qi Yanzhou had long wanted to kill the troublemaking Zhang Tianshi, and with the opportunity before him, he naturally wouldn’t let it slip.

“Your Majesty, with you presiding over the North Star Kingdom, it will certainly thrive. The talk of the country’s destruction is just a rumor. The eighteen layers of Hell have already been unleashed. Only by killing Zhang Tianshi can we calm the people’s hearts.”

As for Zhang Tianshi, both the Crown Prince and Qi Yanzhou shared the same view.

“Father, the people all view ‘Demon Sorcery Destroys the Nation’ as a warning from heaven. If we don’t kill Zhang Tianshi, we won’t be able to give the people a proper explanation.”

The second prince, who had connections with Zhang Tianshi, wanted to protect him.

“Father, Zhang Tianshi could never have committed such a treasonous act. He must have been framed by his enemies. If he wanted to harm you, why would he go through the trouble of making pills for you and helping you seek immortality?”

When the two most favored princes spoke, the ministers immediately began arguing, each supporting either the Crown Prince or the second prince.

The two factions were at odds, shouting at each other.

The emperor ignored the bickering ministers and looked at De Gonggong. “What is your opinion?”